


A Bishop's Grace

by tansybells



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fantasizing, Masturbation in Bathroom, Religious Guilt, Religious Imagery & Symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:14:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tansybells/pseuds/tansybells
Summary: Catherine falls prey to temptation after a long day.A companion piece to Blooming_Spiderlily'sA Knight's Devotion
Relationships: Catherine/Rhea (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	A Bishop's Grace

**Author's Note:**

> Written to fill the [FE:3H Wank Week](https://twitter.com/fe3hwankweek) Day 6: Worship/Defilement. Which one, you ask? The answer is yes!

It was rare for Catherine to return so very late at night, and considering that she understood Rhea to be a light sleeper, she didn’t want to let her own impatience to come home be of detriment to her lady. So upon her arrival in the audience chamber, she expected to be greeted by someone less important than the Archbishop herself.

Upon opening the door to the audience chamber, however, her gaze honed in upon the person prepared to receive her. Her heart seized at the light and kindness shining out from her Lady’s eyes, the gentleness of her smile.

Rhea had waited up for her.

She was home.

Taking a deep breath, Catherine cleared her mind and soul of any impure thoughts before kneeling down on one knee before Rhea.

“Lady Rhea,” she said, trying even in her exhausted state to convey every last modicum of adoration that she felt for Rhea, “I’m honored that you would receive me yourself at this hour.”

She looked up to meet Rhea’s eyes, which shone like precious stones, and said nothing more. Instead, Catherine simply allowed herself to soak up her liege’s radiant, divine presence, let the warmth and love that Rhea held for all of her devotees soothe her aching muscles. Yet to her surprise, Rhea did not meet her eyes. Instead, her gaze roved over all of Catherine’s body, and Catherine had to forcibly hold herself as still as stone lest she shudder. She was being laid bare before her lady, metaphorically speaking, and in her lady’s eyes burned a hunger that Catherine had scarce seen before.

“It is no trouble, Catherine. I wished to see you safe with my own eyes.” Rhea coughed, yet even the spark of concern for her lady’s well-being that ran through Catherine was not enough to dull the bright, beaming smile that made the muscles in her face ache. By no one else had she ever been so cared for, so unconditionally. “Your report can wait until the morning,” Rhea said as soon as her light coughing fit had subsided, “for now, I think it would be most advantageous for you to get some rest. I shall be retiring myself, shortly.”

Rhea extended a hand to her, and Catherine felt a warm nostalgia sinking through her body, warming her tired bones. How long had it been, since Rhea had accepted her into her fold in just the same manner? For how long had Catherine let her love remain silent, in all but her actions?

“Thank you, Lady Rhea,” she said, relief sinking into her voice as she took the proffered hand and pulled herself up. “I have to admit, I wasn’t sure we’d get back tonight, and I’m absolutely beat.” Even as the words fell from her lips, Catherine knew without question that it would be impossible to rest somewhere else, knowing without doubt that Lady Rhea was just a short ride away.

“Catherine, if you are not feeling well, if you are too tired, you may delay your return and rest.” The corners of Rhea’s lips tightened in disapproval, and Catherine’s heart seized. “While I do appreciate your commitment to returning to me, your safety and happiness are not inconsequential, and I would have you see to those, as well.”

Catherine did not hesitate before firmly shaking her head. If Lady Rhea were to command her to rest, that would be one thing. As it was, however, her words were more like a suggestion. What sort of knight, what kind of  _ protector  _ would she be, if she were to put her own fatigue above the safety and well-being of her Lady?

“Respectfully, Lady Rhea,” she said in a husky voice, “while I appreciate the offer, I don’t think I will. I might be tired, but I would rather be tired at home than rested and away from it.” She met Rhea’s eyes, confidence in the purity of her love for the Archbishop straightening her spine and strengthening her stance.

“I don’t feel like I’m truly safe until I’m wherever you are.”  
  


* * *

  
Back in her quarters, Catherine submerged herself beneath the heated water of her bath. Lady Rhea had come to greet her.  _ Lady Rhea herself!  _ She emptied her lungs, and relished the faint  _ pop-pop-pop  _ of the bubbles bursting as they hit the water’s surface before she allowed herself to rejoin them above water.

She gasped for air upon breaking through the water’s surface. With cheeks flushed from the momentary exertion, she reached for the cloth she’d left hanging over the edge of her tub. The scratchy fibers of the washcloth as it ran over her skin were a comforting distraction from the heat of her memories. She pictured the warm, soapy water washing away her defilement.

_ “Let me help you, my faithful Catherine.” Lady Rhea takes the cloth from Catherine’s hand, and prompting her to lean forward in the tub, begins to run it up and down her back. “Let me cleanse you of the sins of the world.”  _

The fantasy, unexpected as it was, caught Catherine off guard. To make up for it, Catherine scrubbed harder with the washcloth. The skin beneath grew redder and redder thanks to the increased vigor with which she tried to cleanse herself. When she ran the cloth over one of the bruises she had sustained while on her mission, though, she bit down on her lip to distract herself from hissing in pain.

Though, as she thought about it, she deserved that pain. After all, it was wrong to let herself think of Lady Rhea in such a manner.

No, it wasn’t wrong. That was too simple of a word for the crime she had committed in the eyes of the Goddess.

It was  _ sinful. _

Rhea was, in all but name and canon, a saint. She was more than beautiful. She was kind, wise, gracious, and held enough love in her heart for every person in the world to be fulfilled.

Most importantly, she held everyone to the same standards. She loved each and every person just the same. Yes, some people judged her rulings to be exceptionally harsh, and so criticized her and the Church alike, but none of them understood. No one truly understood. Rhea had  _ rules,  _ rules which governed the way the world worked, and when those rules were broken? Rhea had to punish accordingly.

And Catherine was the sword by which punishment was meted. That was her job, her duty. It was only right that Catherine act with the loyalty due to her Lady. And in return, Lady Rhea treated her with the same love and consideration that she extended to every other person in Fódlan.

She should be content with that. Not only was it how Lady Rhea acted, it was how she  _ needed  _ to act. She was the Archbishop; she had to set the proper standard for those who followed her.

And yet Catherine desired so much more.

Catherine let loose a deep groan of frustration and plunged her head back beneath the warm waters of the bath.

For as long as she held her breath, her eyes squeezed shut, she could pretend that she didn’t have these awful feelings. It was only when her lungs began to burn for lack of air that Catherine allowed herself to come back up to the surface and push soaked sun-bleached hair out of her eyes. She frowned through the rivulets of water running down her face. It wasn’t logical, she was well aware, but there had been a feeling deep within her chest that maybe submerging herself would have brought her some sense of cleanliness. Of purity. 

There was no relief to be found.

Unless…

“I want you, Lady Rhea,” Catherine whispered, her confession echoing around the chamber despite the softness of her voice. Her cheeks flushed at the sound of her own desperation.

_ “Oh, my dear Catherine.” Rhea strokes the soft skin of Catherine’s cheek. “You are a desolate sinner, are you not?” _

_ Catherine cries out under her touch, her heart aching at her Lady’s accusation. As much as she wishes she could deny it, though, as much as she wishes she could be as pure and clean as the knight Rhea deserves, she can’t deny the truth has presented itself before her. _

_ Rhea smiles, her expression sympathetic and full of pity. “Beloved one, you know why that is unacceptable.” _

_ Tears welling up in her eyes, Catherine nods. “Can you make me clean again?” she begs, her throat thick with emotion. _

_ Rhea’s smile turns predatory. _

_ “Of course.” _

Without thinking, without giving herself the chance to talk herself out of it for the sake of Lady Rhea’s name and dignity, Catherine found her hand wandering down between her thighs.

The warmth of the bathwater as she reached for her core was nothing in comparison to the heat of the arousal, of the  _ shame  _ that washed over her as she plunged a finger deep into herself. When she found herself to be slick and desperately wanting, another finger quickly followed. Then another. Catherine moaned as the heat that directed her only grew in intensity.

_ “My, how base you are.” Rhea smirks as she brushes her fingers against Catherine’s dampness. “I had not expected such lust to sit deep within the heart of one so loyal to me. It is almost enough to make one wonder—” _

_ She lets her finger dip down towards Catherine’s folds, and Catherine squirms beneath her gentle touch. There’s not a single iota of her being that doesn’t want Rhea to take it further. Rhea, however, seems to have another idea in mind. She pulls her hand away from Catherine’s thighs and leaves her knight gasping in dismay. _

_ “—whether you serve out of loyalty to the Church, or out of desire for me.” _

Catherine ground against her hand, even as she drove her fingers in and out of herself. With each movement, she pushed harder and harder against the palm of her hand. Each time she skimmed against her clit, she rewarded herself with an adoring whisper of her lady’s name.

She’d fought for her. She’d  _ killed  _ for her. And now, Catherine degraded herself before the holy image of Rhea that she worshipped in her mind.

_ Rhea’s body, svelte and lean, presses tight against Catherine’s. Long gone is the notion of washing the knight clean of the dirt and dust of the road; Rhea seems to have dedicated herself to ensuring that Catherine is well aware of her sins. _

_ Catherine whimpers as Rhea flicks her clit. There’s no malice in the action, merely a calculated efficiency. “We must hold ourselves to a higher standard. And you of all people, beautiful Catherine, should know the lengths to which we must go to purge ourselves of sin.” _

_ “But isn’t this just as sinful?” Catherine asks between heavy breaths. “Falling prey to lust for—for—” _

_ “For the woman to whom you’ve sworn your life?” Rhea chuckles, and a delighted chill runs down Catherine’s back. The sensation only grows as Rhea’s fingers play with her entrance. “My dear, nothing as divine as this can truly be sinful.”  _

Catherine held back her cry as she mimicked the actions of the Rhea in her fantasy, but without the grace and consideration for which Rhea was known. No, Catherine was a knight. She was rough and brusque and to-the-point; despite her initial hesitancy, she picked up the pace with which she rubbed against herself.

_ “Rhea. Rhea, please—I need you,” Catherine begs. The desperation in her voice takes her aback. Not to be deterred, though, not when everything she’s ever dreamt of is happening, she continues. “You are all I’ve ever wanted, and more. Please, Rhea, tell me what I need to do to be clean.” _

_ “You do not need to do a single thing,” Rhea says, “for I shall make you clean.” _

_ Without a single word more, Rhea kneels down and takes Catherine’s clit in her mouth. _

And Catherine broke.

The sudden clench of her thighs caught her hand in place, yet she still attempted to keep up the momentum that she’d built. It hurt to keep going, she’d been touching herself for so long, but she owed it as penance for thinking of Rhea in such a wicked way.

Even as the Rhea in her mind hummed and cooed around her clit, Catherine strove on. And when she finally realized that she couldn’t stand any more stimulation, she finally relaxed and let the release take her where it may.

When she could actually form coherent words in her mind again, it sank in just what she’d done. She’d gotten off on the unholy idea of intercourse with her Lady. She’d gotten off on the idea of  _ Rhea pleasuring her. _ That wouldn’t do.

She needed to wash herself once more.

The water streaming from her body as she rose, Catherine stepped out of her tub and started the process of heating up another batch of water. Considering what had just conspired, she couldn’t dare to face Rhea again or wield Thunderbrand in her holy name until what remained of her sin had been fully scrubbed away.

And yet despite the great sin she had just committed in Rhea’s name, she couldn’t wash away the sly satisfaction that she had, in fact, been blessed.

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the summary, this is a companion piece to [Blooming_Spiderlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blooming_Spiderlily/pseuds/Blooming_Spiderlily)'s fic, [_A Knight's Devotion_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25750138), which is from Rhea's POV! Definitely go check it out; it's a _maz_ ing. 
> 
> I can be found on twitter, @tansybells ~   
> Thank you for reading! Have a lovely day ❤︎


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